by Michael Josselyn, San Francisco State Univ, Tiburon, United States, John Callaway, San Francisco State Univ, Tiburon, United States, Melanie Denninger, San Francisco State Univ, Tiburon, United States,

The Bolsa Chica lowlands comprise over 1300 acres on the Orange County coast in southern California. The wetlands are used for a variety of purposes, including an ecological reserve, a state beach, and an active oil field. The State Coastal Conservancy was requested to develop plans to provide for the restoration of 1000 acres of wetland and estuarine habitat under a land-use plan developed by the Bolsa Chica Coalition, a group consisting of local political entities, landowners, and state officials. Meeting with state and federal resource agencies, the Conservancy prepared three alternative plans for the restoration of the lowlands. These plans focused on preservation of existing rare and endangered species use, enhancement of coastal fish and wildlife resources, and maintenance of high water quality within the wetland. Plans included various habitat configurations to accomodate constraints of elevation, tidal flow, oil operations, flood recreational uses on the state beach. Habitat types included seasonal ponds, non-tidal managed wetlands, tidal managed wetlands, and full tidal wetlands. Total cost for implementation was estimated at between 40 and 70 million dollars in 1990.